Lotus
by AgricultureKid
Summary: Months after Harry defeats Voldemort he realizes he never found out the resting place of his parents, after discovering where they were buried he is met with a sad secret from his family's past. Mainly told from Hermione's POV, One-Shot


Lotus

By Agriculture Kid

Hermione walked up to the front of the church, her light boots making a crunching noise as her weight made the snow compact beneath her. She looked up to the bell tower and the stained glass windows that were caked with the black shadows from the trees, symptoms that usually came from the light of the moon at five in the morning.

There in the courtyard was a fountain running despite the freezing temperature outside, there in the middle of the bottom pool, were lily pads scattered throughout the small body of water. Sitting by itself next to one of the lily pads, was a small flower, not yet bloomed, huddled within itself.

Hermione recognized the type of flower from one of her many books on plants, it was a lotus flower.

She slid her bag off of her delicate shoulder and left it by the fountain. Hermione tightened the heavy pea coat around her petite frame as the still, biting chill that had come with winter, started to seep into her muscles. She continued around the side of the stone mammoth, slipping a little on the snow covered stones that made up the walkway along the side of the church.

She dragged her right hand along the side of the building, looking for the cold steel of the forged handle attached to the door. Once she found it, she pressed the latch down and heard the familiar click of the hook lifting from the bar inside the locking mechanism, she put her weight against the door, gritted her teeth, and struggled to push the solid, wood door open, hearing the deep, loud moan of the rusted hinges breaking the crusty binds that made it hard to open, obvious that the doors hadn't been oiled in months.

The young woman entered the musty old church that had the smell of damp wood and mold hidden in its stone walls. She looked up at the high, gloomy ceiling, where part of it was missing, and she could see the inviting, blue, almost oily hues of twilight pouring through the gigantic hole. The wood beams and bits of rubble that had once held up a sanctuary to people that had once lost hope, was now a pile of sad earthen materials, lying in a forgotten heap on the cold, marble floor. Time always had a way of breaking strength in things.

Hermione walked down the isle way towards the giant sculpture of the Crucifixion bolted onto the wall, her boots making a dull _thud _that reverberated through the eerie silence. She felt uncomfortable under the intense gaze of Christ as it's hard, stone eyes stared at her with his droopy, tired eyes. He was obviously in pain, but she wasn't sure if his pain was the physical pain of his hands and feet being punctured be steel spikes, or if it was because of the pain He felt for the dejected soul that had entered here only hours before to reminiscence. Hermione lightly laughed to herself when she realized the ridiculousness of her thoughts involving a statue feeling any type of emotion.

"Harry?" She called out tentatively, her breath coming out in a white, transparent cloud. Her worry for the young man that was obviously distressed made her hair frizzy in the urgency to find him.

"Over here Hermione." A distant voice answered back to her, it came from one of the front of the pews near the altar, and she went forward in a hurry to reach the body that the voice had been uttered from.

Hermione jogged to the front of the church, turning right at the end of the aisle, she saw Harry, and sitting with his back against the front of the old, rotten pews, staring up into the face of the man crucified on the wall, his legs sprawled out in front of him. His face looked hollow, his eyes a dull green, not showing the life that had once shined through them. Even his raven hair, which was always messy and untamable, seemed to lie flatter. Hermione kneeled down in front of him and took his large hand in her small one, interlacing their fingers together. This action seemed to get Harry's attention, but it seemed the light flickered in his eyes when she bent forward and placed a kiss on his forehead.

"I found something." Harry said with a shallow voice. Hermione looked into his eyes for a good couple of seconds before answering him, "Show me."

Harry stood up, pulling Hermione up with him; he pulled her into his side by her waist and walked back down the aisle way clutching her tightly against him by his arm around her shoulders and her left arm around the small of his back, and one hand laying flat against his stomach where his naval was. Together they walked back over to the door in which Hermione entered from, but instead of turning left and following Hermione's tracks she left in the freshly fallen snow to where her portkey, disguised as a tin can of peaches, was laying in a bush, he turned right and continued on to the rear of the church.

The pair came on to a craggy looking hill with a small, waist-high, wrought iron gate surrounding an area on the crest of it. In the dull light, Hermione could see stone tombstones, monuments, crosses taller than her marking the ground where the ashen remains of loved ones lay, realizing that they were coming upon a cemetery.

"Harry? What's this about? What's going on?" Hermione asked urgently, Harry shushed her and pressed a kiss to her temple, "You'll see in a minute love" he answered her.

They kept on walking forward, Hermione wasn't as in a hurry as before to see what Harry was trying to show her, but she ceased that thought after she remembered how worried she was after Hedwig came pecking at her bedroom window at her parents house not thirty minutes before. She hurriedly told her mother that Harry had needed her for something after Hedwig's incessant squawking woke her whole house up. " Well I am almost nineteen years old, I should have been moved out by now anyway," Hermione thought to herself, but it was obvious to her that something important was bothering Harry, and she intended to find out, she loved him too much to let superstition about graveyards in the early morning lead her thoughts astray.

Upon coming to the rusted kissing gate, Harry opened it with his free hand and pushed it open. Together they walked up towards the headstones; Harry led the way down an isle to the far right corner of the enclosure, he seemed to know where he was going. Finally they stopped in front of a row of headstones; Harry stood there looking solemnly at them while Hermione was trying to read the engraved faces of the marble stones. Her mouth dropped open.

_Here lies Lily Evans Potter,_

_Beloved mother, daughter, sister and friend,_

_May your death not have been in vain,_

_1955-1980_

_Here lies James Potter_

_Beloved father, son, and friend_

_May your sacrifice be acknowledged for generations to come,_

_1954-1980_

"You found them?" Hermione asked him, her eyes wide. "Ya, well I found out from our old neighbors that they were married here in the church we were just in, and their house is right down the street, this is Godric's Hollow, if you didn't know," he answered quietly, his eyes averted down.

"Oh Harry, I'm so sorry, I don't know what to say except I feel horrible." Hermione's eyes were full of concern for him, and she put her hand up onto his cheek and he leaned into her touch, but his eyes didn't meet hers. What really surprised her was that he met her eyes for a few moments and said "It's not just that, it's something else, a lot worse." He led her over to a smaller headstone that had a lamb on the front, usually signifying the death of a child. She had to move closer so her eyes to read what the front had said.

_Here Lies Emily Lily Potter_

_Beloved sister and daughter_

_-1980_

Hermione's hands covered her mouth once she had realized what it had meant. Tears welled up in her eyes once she reread what it had said, there wasn't a birth date, meaning whatever was beneath her had been unborn. Lily had been pregnant when she was killed. Hermione walked over to Harry and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck while Harry just stared motionless at the ground. He finally came to his senses and wrapped his arms around her waist and burying his face into her hair, breathing in her comforting scent. "Harry…..I'm so sorry," she whispered quietly into his ear, standing on her toes, she lowered herself until her feet were flat on the ground and stretched her back up to him and planted a soft kiss on the underside of his jaw bone. "Harry" she began hesitantly, "would you feel better if we left?"

"Ya, let's go," he answered quietly, she intertwined her small fingers with his and together they walked back down the small hill, careful not to slip on the ice coated gravel, and they slipped through the opening of the frozen gate. Instead of turning back and walking in the direction of the church, they started in another direction. Harry's long legs made strides twice as long as hers, making her double her pace and almost jog to keep up with him, which she found was a difficult task because of the slippery ground. He led her past a small children's playground that looked like it was frozen in time. There were small icicles hanging from the bottoms of the swings and seesaw seats, and off the hand rails of the merry-go-round that once captured children's laughter, a sad reminder of how things had changed because of the Voldemort, of happier days. Streets in a wizarding community were mostly empty by seven o clock; there was still the impending danger of the rogue death eater attacks, the ones that haven't been captured by the ministry aurors.

They kept walking a ways, and passed a large statue of a lion sitting on its haunches, acting as a sentinel for two large cement pillars connected to a gate that blocked the road ahead. As they walked closer to the black gate there was a large sign bolted to the front reading: _Chamber Lane_

The pair started towards it and as the got closer the gate opened by itself for them, they continued up the paved road, walking a few blocks up from the gate. Harry squeezed her hand and came to a stop in front of an old looking house. It was a large, brick, two story house with a waist high wood fence surrounding the yard, with ivy growing along it, intertwining itself between the slats. It looked oddly serene. Most of the dark shutters were hanging off one hinge, reminding the duo that nobody had tended to the upkeep of it in nearly eighteen years

Harry walked up to the gate in the fence and released its hinge. He pushed it open and let Hermione go in before him and after he stepped through he turned back to make sure it latched close. He caught up to Hermione who was turned back and watching him, waiting for him to catch up to her. When he caught up to her he draped his arm across her shoulders and continued onward to the front of his parent's home.

Hermione stopped up short in the middle of the walkway. She turned up to look at him with a questioning look on her face. "Harry how did you find this place? How'd you know it was here?" Harry looked down to her beautiful face and was about to brush off her question, when he realized she needed an explanation. She didn't drag herself out of bed to come find him at five a.m. for nothing.

"Well, after you left to go back to your parent's house, I started really thinking about things. And I really started realizing how restless I was about it you know? Like I killed off Voldemort last year, but I still haven't had any closure with my parents, and I found it a little weird that I haven't heard anything about their resting place at all." He stopped for a second and took a deep breath when he realized he started rambling and speaking very fast. "So after you left, I decided to go back to Grimmauld place and look around in Sirius' room for anything. When I didn't find anything I tried asking Remus if he knew at all, he did, but he didn't know the portkey points and told me to try going to their safe at Gringotts. When I went there I found their death certificates saying that they were buried at the cemetery in Godric's Hollow and their deed to the house was there too. Naturally I had to see."

Harry finished breathlessly, Hermione stepped back from his embrace and looked at him, "And when did you start trying to track it down?" She asked. Harry had a sheepish look on his face and he raised his hand up and scratched the nape of his neck, "Err like an hour after you left, so like seven o clock, I researched first about the history of this place before I came here. I knew that's what you would have done before rushing into things, and I learned from the best." Hermione looked up at him with an a look on her face that she's never used before with him, slowly he returned his hands to the side of her waist and lifted her up onto him so she was leaning against him and she let her forearms rest against the tops of his shoulders, her feet a few inches above the snowy ground beneath them. "You know how much I love you right?" Hermione asked him, though she already knew the answer. Harry stared up into her eyes, "If it's as much as I love you, I think I'm in pretty good hands."

Hermione's eyes were more open to him than they ever we're before, she locked her arms tighter around his neck and slowly leaned down and brushed her lips against his. She pulled back and stared into his eyes, and then let hers fall shut as she leaned forward again. Harry closed his eyes and returned her kiss. He tightened his hold around her waist and squeezed her to him, but not to the point where he was hurting her. Hermione moved her mouth languidly against his, drawing out a sigh from him. She tried to wrap herself around him as much as she could, trying to get as close as possible to him, wanting to show him comfort, and that she cared about him.

Harry set her back down on her feet; their lips still attached and moved his hands so he was holding her face against his. He kept one hand on the side of her neck and the other he ran down her spine to the small of her back making Hermione shiver. Harry trailed his hand across the side of her waist and over the front until his hand was pressed flat against her stomach, the heel of his hand by his wrist resting on the button of her jeans. He slid his arm underneath her jacket and wrapped his arm around her waist, bringing her closer to him. He found the elastic like band across the bottom of her sweater and slid his hand underneath feeling her warm skin, his fingers splayed across her back.

Hermione pressed herself harder against him and moaned into his mouth, fully opening up her mouth to his. She ran her fingers up his scalp, running her fingers through his hair, sliding them down the side of face until they rested on his cheek bones, trying to pull his mouth closer to hers, even though they couldn't be. Hermione felt his hand slide lower down her back and make its way down the back of her jeans, she arched against him and felt a sudden heat, a rush of emotions shoot through her and she gasped and pulled her mouth off of his, panting. They stared at each other with a mixture of shock and amazement, both breathing heavy.

Harry just smiled and laughed quietly and rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. Hermione hugged him around the neck and gave him a quick peck on his mouth.

"Come on," she finally managed, "If were going to go in and have a look around than we better get a move on, it's almost six and the neighbors are bound to be up and about soon."

She grabbed his hand and started moving towards the old house, but she was pulled back when Harry didn't step forward. He looked up at the house with a pained look on his face, and he lowered his head and looked into her eyes. "I don't think I can go in there," he stated plainly. "You don't?" Hermione stared at him while different emotions played over his face. "No, Ive already found their graves, and Emily's, who I didn't even know existed till now, I don't think I can do it. I don't want to see their room, or my room, or her nursery, it's just too much."

Hermione sighed, "Ok Harry, I understand, you don't have to if you don't want to." Harry nodded and thanked her and leaned down and gave her a quick peck on the cheek. He grabbed her hand and together they started walking back towards the church. Once they reached the fountain, Hermione picked up her bag and continued over to the bush that Hermione hid the tin can in, she stopped and turned towards him, smiling up at him with an expectant look on her face. "What?" He asked, she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close. "Oh nothing, mums wondering when you're coming over for dinner again, she absolutely adores you and that's all she talks about when I see her, she's starting to talk dad's ear off. She's wondering if you would come tonight." Harry laughed and pulled her closer and laid his forehead on her shoulder.

"Tell her I'll be over at around six," Harry turned his head a placed a soft kiss on her neck, "then later on, you can come stay at my house tonight." Hermione closed her eyes and sighed, leaning her head towards him, and giggled a little. "Oh you can count on that, and I'll definitely tell her you'll be there. She'll be thrilled." Harry pulled back and smiled at her, "you better go; your parents will be up soon." He kissed her goodbye and watched as she walked forward and bent down to pick up the tin can, she turned back to look at him, and waved a little before she vanished before his eyes.

Harry turned around and made his eyes squint against the oncoming light of the rising sun. He watched for a few moments while the bright white light from the sun made its appearance over the countryside. He looked away from the sun when he heard the sound of running water, something he hadn't noticed when he showed up here. Harry glanced over at the fountain sitting in front of the church entrance. Walking over to it, he noticed a small, closed flower floating on the surface of the water. He looked up just as the sun's rays broke over the hill and shown down onto the fountain.

To his amazement, the flower starting stirring, and a while after the sun started to rise, bloomed and opened fully, revealing it's bright, pink to the world for another day. Harry smiled to himself, and put his hands in his pockets, looking up into the sunlight one more time, before closing his eyes and concentrating on a certain home in the country. The young man suddenly vanished, disappearing with the sound of a resounding _pop_.

The area was once again very still, empty, and quiet, as it was almost three and a half hours ago before it was disturbed by the presence of a troubled young man, the only hint that somebody had been there, was the pair of footsteps making their path throughout the small village. The lotus sat peacefully in the fountain basking in the warmth of the sun.


End file.
